The Best Audiobooks Under 3 Hours

What is holding you back from achieving inner peace and happiness? The Toltecs, a pre-Colombian civilization that predates the Aztecs, believed they knew the answer to that question, as well as how to overcome the barriers standing between any person and their goals. Don Miguel Ruiz applies their philosophies to the modern world in The Four Agreements, a short but eye-opening listen.

When it comes to short audiobooks, you can't go wrong with Benjamin Hoff's The Tao of Pooh. Originally published in 1982, this award-winning audiobook compares the actions of classic children's character Winnie-the-Pooh with Taoist philosophy. Through this listen, adults can find a new way of connecting with a beloved friend and gain a better understanding of one of the world's great spiritual traditions.

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful media personalities in American history. In The Path Made Clear, she shares what she has learned about success, as well as what she has learned from the many celebrities she has interviewed during her decades-long career. With a large all-star cast including Goldie Hawn, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kerry Washington, and dozens more, this audiobook can help listeners find the path that they are meant to follow.

The first in a series, Nnedi Okorafor's award-winning Binti follows a young woman selected for a great honor: to attend the galaxy's most respected university. Accepting this opportunity comes with both emotional and physical risks, as Binti must leave her people and her culture to travel to a world under attack by a dangerous alien race. Can Binti thrive in such an environment? And will she survive long enough to find out?

Molly Harper's Half-Moon Hollow series is full of hilarious, offbeat tales about undead women and the vampires who love them. In Fangs for the Memories, Andrea, a living woman who donates blood for vampiric consumption, falls hard for a bad boy vampire with the unfortunate name of Dick Cheney. How far into his world is she willing to go to keep him? Read with air-headed flair by Amanda Ronconi, this listen will satisfy fans of fantasy, romance, and humor.

Sent far from home to marry an emperor, In-yo feels lost, isolated, and powerless. It is only after befriending the enslaved handmaiden Rabbit that she finds the courage to make the best of her situation and take the power that no one else will give her. The first in Nghi Vo's Singing Hills Cycle series, The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a scalding novella and one of the best sci-fi short stories you can enjoy in under three hours.

The simple answer to the titular question is that Elmyr de Hory was the 20th century's most prolific art forger. But Elmyr, the people who tried to stop him, and the dear friend who tried so hard to preserve his legacy are all far more complicated than that. Who is Elmyr? is an exciting, complex Audible Original biography written and read by journalist Max Horberry.

In crime shows, demanding to see a lawyer when in police custody is a sure sign of guilt. James Duane, a professor at Virginia's Regent Law School, explains how legal representation can help everyone—including and especially the innocent—from making mistakes that could land them behind bars for years. Part history lesson and part practical advice, You Have the Right to Remain Innocent is an uncomfortable but necessary book about how innocence is no protection against the police.

Hundreds of years ago, the rich and powerful were the same as they are today: petty, vengeful, and ready to crawl over their enemies' corpses to get what they want. Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World spotlights four historical rivalries that helped shape modern nations, academic disciplines, and more. Featuring award-winning narrators, Rivals! teaches fascinating history that will keep kids—and you!—entertained for just under three hours.

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories is the most recent addition to Holly Black's best-selling Folk of the Air series. In it, listeners get to see wicked king Cardan as never before, beginning with his childhood and ending with the world-shattering events of the trilogy's final official installment, The Queen of Nothing. Caitlin Kelly, who has also performed the series' previous entries, returns for this exciting novella.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is regarded by fans as one of the greatest YA stories ever told. This award-nominated audiobook edition features a full cast, including the inimitable Tim Curry as the narrator. Experience the dark humor, Gothic storytelling, and absurd lives of the Baudelaire siblings and their evil guardian Count Olaf in a whole new way in this unforgettable audiobook.

Steve Harmon stands accused of felony murder. He is only 16 years old. Labeled a monster by the press and facing dire penalties, Steve tells his own story as if it were a Hollywood film. Written by the award-winning Walter Dean Myers and narrated by a full cast, this listen's unconventional and concise yet compelling storytelling make Monster one of the best short YA audiobooks of all time.

By any definition, Maya Angelou lived a fulfilling, meaningful life. In this 2008 essay collection, the iconic author and activist recalls her turbulent youth and the experiences—both positive and negative—that made her who she was. From these recollections comes an insightful blend of advice and lessons learned that only a writer of Angelou's caliber could provide. Fans and anyone looking for a new perspective will appreciate hearing Angelou read her own work.

Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman for punk band Green Day, has always forged his own path, no matter how hard it was or how many obstacles lay in the way. Welcome to My Panic is an Audible Original that uses both prose and music to bring Armstrong's sometimes harrowing, sometimes triumphant story to life—all in only an hour and a half.

Old age isn't for sissies, beloved actor Betty White says in If You Ask Me, her delightful and inspiring autobiography. The star of The Golden Girls discusses her long, successful career, as well as important life lessons she has picked up over the years. Read by White herself, this audiobook is a charming way to spend an afternoon—and, with any luck, to learn how to age as wonderfully as Betty White!

In this Audie-nominated essay collection, actor and writer Mindy Kaling covers a wide range of topics—from single parenthood to the pain of watching your extreme generosity go unnoticed—with her trademark humor. This Audible exclusive will resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of place among friends and family.

Shelby, a young dog walker, returns to a client's home and finds him dead on the floor. The client in question was a successful business owner with a reputation as pure and wholesome as the organic supplements he sold. But as the investigation progresses, Shelby realizes that the man was not who he pretended to be. This suspenseful Audible Original is read by noted actor Melanie Nicholls-King and award-winning narrator Lindsey Dorcus.

On a trip to Italy, Margot and her friends meet a mysterious older man with healing powers and clairvoyance. Margot in particular feels a strange attraction to the man, though she couldn't possibly explain why. Who is he, really? For that matter, who is Margot? The Gentleman from Peru is an engrossing Audible Original from bestselling author André Aciman and narrator Edoardo Ballerini.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, is still revered as one of the greatest mystery writers in English literature. Sir Ian McKellen is an Audie Award-winning audiobook narrator and a legendary actor who played Holmes in the 2015 film Mr. Holmes. Together, these inimitable talents bring you The Valley of Fear. To solve a gruesome murder, the brilliant Holmes and the indefatigable Dr. Watson must untangle the history of a seemingly respectable (and now deceased) country gentleman.